Why does it look like some of my chickens don’t molt at all, while others are nearly bald during molting season?
Don’t fret — while it may appear that only a few from your flock are molting in the fall, they all go through normal, healthy cycles that take anywhere from as little as two months to as long as five months. (For a more thorough look into the stages of seasonal feather loss and feather growth, check out this post.)
The factor that determines the length of time for old feathers to shed and new feathers to grow is the particular breed of chicken. Your most productive layers will molt the fastest; they go through hard molts, whereby clutches of feathers seemingly drop overnight. It’s sometimes hard to believe that big old pile of feathers came from only one chicken! (And even harder to believe that the average adult chicken has around 8,000 feathers… that’s a lot of energy going into regrowing her coat.)
Hard molters can resemble porcupines (hilariously so!) and while their appearance is a little unsightly at this stage, they usually have fluffy new coats within weeks of their first feather drop. (And that’s a good thing, as the feathers help with insulation and weatherproofing over winter.) They generally resume egg production after finishing their molts, which explains why certain chickens continue laying through the dark days of winter.
Your poorest layers, on the other hand, will molt the slowest. They typically go through soft molts, shedding only a few feathers here and there. You may not even notice they’ve begun to molt, but you’ll definitely notice they’ve ceased their egg laying. Their molts may spread out over five or more months, meaning they usually won’t lay again until spring. There’s nothing you can do to speed the process, but even these soft molters benefit from a little extra protein during their long cycles.
It’s often said that molts progress in a predictable pattern from top to tail. A lot of times this is true, but it isn’t always the case. Don’t be alarmed if you notice your chicken losing her tail feathers first, or if she appears to be dropping feathers in a haphazard fashion all over her body. Every chicken experiences a molt differently, even from year to year.
With my own flock, my Barred Rock, Kimora, is a prolific layer. She gives us five, sometimes six eggs a week in peak season, and she’s a fast and furious molter in the fall. By week seven, all her new feathers are fully grown in and she’ll gift us with a couple of eggs each week over winter.
My Golden Laced Cochin, Iman, likes to take her sweet time. She started molting over three months ago and I’ll still find a few feathers in the coop — feathers, but not eggs. In the summer, she lays around three eggs a week, and we cherish every one of them!
But this girl… what she lacks in egg productivity, she makes up for in lookin’ good year-round.
32 Comments
Broderick Proeger
December 5, 2015 at 10:50 amBroderick Proeger liked this on Facebook.
gardenbetty
December 5, 2015 at 9:02 amPillow fights in the coop? Why Some Chickens Molt Faster Than Others https://t.co/wzAZZlbACi #backyardchickens https://t.co/JyCfx1lRhA
gardenbetty
December 4, 2015 at 6:01 pmYour best layers shed feathers the quickest (and other fun facts). Why Some Chickens Molt Faster Than Others https://t.co/IV2TIW4Wm6
Lauren Hayes
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Lauren Parnass
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Holly Curl German
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Garden Betty
December 3, 2015 at 4:02 pmI’ve been cheating on my chickens… by buying eggs from the store. I can’t wait for Kimora to start laying again this winter!
Jennifer Dendinger Crandall
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Jen Foerster Edwards
December 3, 2015 at 2:35 pmJen Foerster Edwards liked this on Facebook.
gardenbetty
December 3, 2015 at 12:02 pmIs some of your flock bald this season? Why Some Chickens Molt Faster Than Others https://t.co/1ubhgyY2iG #poultry https://t.co/lDKpo3Ajee
yawningreyhound
December 3, 2015 at 11:13 amCongrats on your Sprout!!!!!!
I thought I was going to avoid the molt this year as I have two Feb-born girls, and two 3-year olds who apparently weren’t going to molt this year, going thru a huge molt last year! Ha. Now that we’re in the teens temperatures, they’ve started to drop feathers like crazy, all four of them.
And one of the older ones (a GLW, too, but no feathery feet) has even gotten a little pale and lost a little weight. She gets about 3 more days to pink up again or we’re heading into the avian vet (that $64 visit sure screws with egg prices, eh?).
I actually had to turn on the heat lamp in the run for them it got so cold here in CO last week. They quite liked it, choosing to roost in the run rather than their normally cozy but not heated sleeping coop. Then I turn off the light due to warmer temps and what do i find last night? They’re STILL roosting in the run. Tonight I’m moving them in to the coop to reestablish that habit!
Linda Ly of Garden Betty
December 5, 2015 at 2:26 amThank you!
As for your hens, it’s normal for their combs and wattles to pale during molting, and if you notice they’re not eating as much, it’s likely a sign to give them an extra boost of protein in their feed. I give mine scrambled eggs and other high-protein snacks to help with new feather growth.
yawningreyhound
December 5, 2015 at 10:19 amoh gosh they love scrambled eggs! I’ve been giving them that just to give them something warm on these frigid mornings. Also, I found a feed called Feather Fixer by Nutrena, I believe, that’s 16% protein. And they LOVE it! Plus their mealworms/soldier fly larva/boss. It’s amazing they’re laying ANY eggs (i get one a day maybe) with all the protein/fat treats I’m giving them! But it’s about staying warm and growing feathers, not laying eggs right now! Oh, to be in Hawaii with chickens.
Laurie Smith
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gardenbetty
December 3, 2015 at 6:00 amBlogged on Garden Betty: Why Some Chickens Molt Faster Than Others https://t.co/28Eh9ZXLxZ